Creativity in Motion: 2026 Graphic Notation Competition Winners and Program Expansion

LSU Libraries is delighted to announce the winners of the third annual Music in Motion: Graphic Notation Music Competition. Their submissions demonstrated remarkable creativity, originality, and artistic vision, with each winning score reflecting the ingenuity of its creator. 

2026 Winners

• First Place: Blair Blake – “X.T.C. (Xanadu, Tristesse, Concinnity)”
• Second Place (Three-Way Tie): 
  • Josiah Garza– “Old Growth Succession III”
  • Steven P. James– “Out of the Abyss” 
  • Kylan Hillman– “Spaces Are Imagined” 

The Graphic Notation Music Competition gives students across the academic community the opportunity to explore the intersection of visual art and music through the creation of captivating graphic scores. Open to students of all majors and experience levels, the competition encourages experimentation and creative risk-taking.

This year’s submissions were truly outstanding. We congratulate all entrants on their inspiring submissions, and we are excited to see how future participants continue to push the boundaries of graphic notation and musical expression.

Program Expansion

This year also marked a new milestone for the competition: its expansion beyond LSU. For the first time, students and faculty from the University of Alabama Birmingham, Saint Louis University, and the Peabody Conservatory were invited to participate. Mikel A. LeDee, head of music resources at the LSU Libraries; Victor Emery Gischler, a graduate student at Peabody Conservatory; and LSU student Emilia Gonzalez played key roles in making this expansion possible. 

“We decided that it would be good for us to expand it to allow more people to be involved,” said LeDee. “It’s a good opportunity for people here to compete in something that’s local and then compete in something that’s a little bit bigger.”  

Additional support was provided by William Price, professor at the University of Alabama Birmingham, Aaron Johnson, professor at Saint Louis University, and Behnoush Tavasolinia, graphic designer at LSU Libraries. 

This year’s winning works will be performed live by musicians at LSU and the Peabody Conservatory.